Sailing: Sailing joins HKSI’s ‘Tier A’ Elite Training Programme

March 13, 2015:Sailing has joined the ranks of sports that will receive ‘Tier A’ support from the Elite Training Programme run by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) for the four-year elite sport funding cycle through 2019, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) announced.

The Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKSF) is the government’s agent responsible for providing a high-quality training environment and support services for high-performance athletes, with the aim of developing athletes to achieve good results at international sporting events.

Warwick Downes, President of the HKSF, said: “This gives sailing the recognition that it deserves as a major sport in Hong Kong and now allows Hong Kong athletes a pathway to achieve their sailing goals.”

Under the government’s Elite Vote Support Scheme (EVSS), achievements of both senior and junior athletes at major international competitions are used as the selection criterion to identify high-performance sports to be supported by the HKSI.

The criteria for Tier A require an EVSS score of 9 points or above – and sailing achieved a score of 9.5 during the latest review cycle. The review is conducted every two years, aligned with the Asian Games and Olympic Games cycles, to provide stable support for the selected sports.

In preparation for the review, HKSF sent many sailors to international events including the Asian Sailing Championships and last year’s Asian Games where they garnered enough points. HKSF then collated the results and made their submission to HKSI for the Tier A approval.

The level of support at Tier A includes funding for elite training programmes, dedicated coaching led by a Head Coach, full sports science and medical support, and athlete development programmes.

HKSI Scholarship Athletes of Elite Sports (Tier A) will also have access to the Elite Training Grant (ETG) under the Individual Athletes Support Scheme (IASS).

Anthony Day, the RHKYC’s Rear Commodore Sailing, said: “This is great news for our sport here in Hong Kong, obviously. We are looking forward to seeing some improved results around the region with the significant increase in funding and support that comes with this promotion to Tier A.”